


How To Accidentally Date Your Friend

by shellygurumi



Series: One Shots [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Librarian Dean, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 18:48:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4030687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shellygurumi/pseuds/shellygurumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Falling in love was never in the plan. Not that love ever abides by such silly rules as man can make." Dean and Cas start a fake relationship for a joint gym membership, but continue it when Cas gets invited to his cousin Anna's wedding. Dean plays the role even better than Cas expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How To Accidentally Date Your Friend

Falling in love was never in the plan. Not that love ever abides by such silly rules as man can make. It started with a gym membership, of all things. Cas had been friends with Dean through their mutual friend, Charlie, for about a month when they were both complaining that gym memberships were too expensive.

“You know, I hear that at some gyms, family can get on a joint account and the second person is cheaper than the first. You two could just do that and split the difference.” Charlie suggested.

“Yeah, great, just one problem,” Dean said, “We’re not family.”

“Pfft. A minor setback. Just tell them you’re dating or something.”

“But we’re not.” Cas stared at her.

“They don’t know that! It’s not like they’re checking or anything, anyway.” Charlie shrugged. “My LARPing buddies do it all the time. It’s fine.”

Dean looked at Cas. He shrugged in return. “I guess it can’t hurt. And it’ll save us money.”

“I suppose so.”

They went to the gym that weekend and opened a joint account. Dean worked for the county library, which meant he got a discount, so they put the account in his name and added Cas on as his boyfriend. They did a minor act of Dean wrapping his arm around Cas’s shoulders and smiling at each other. All in all, Cas really couldn’t complain. It might have been fake, but of all the guys to fake date, Dean was a pretty good fake boyfriend.

After that initial registration, they didn’t have to do too much pretending. They generally went to the gym at separate times so it didn’t matter, but on occasion one of the trainers would ask Cas how his boyfriend was doing. Dean and Cas ended up having regular phone calls about their training, which always turned into calls about everything else in their lives. Then Dean made some comment about wanting to see a new Marvel movie that was coming out and so they went together. As friends, of course.

Sometimes their calls would turn to books, comic books, mystery novels, or cookbooks. Dean would give Cas recommendations and put books on hold for him at the library, so Cas would come by to pick them up and they would get to talking about those, as well.

Then it happened. Cas got an invitation to his cousin Anna’s wedding. He didn’t see his family often, and didn’t especially enjoy their company. And, inevitably at all family gatherings – weddings in particular – there came the prying questions about significant others. Cas tried to avoid this as best he could, but at an out-of-town wedding for a long weekend, it could be trying.

He called Dean up that night.

“Dean… I have a request…”

“Got your eye on a new book?”

“No, I’m afraid it’s rather more than that. My cousin’s wedding is in a few weeks and …” He took a deep breath and decided the rip-the-bandaid-off approach was best. “And my family always bothers me about relationships and I was wondering, since we’re fake dating at the gym already, would you mind being my ‘Plus One’ to the wedding? It’s just one weekend and it’s in Key West. I’ll pay for your ticket out there and the hotel and everything. I will owe you any favor you want, I just–”

“Cas!”

“I’m sorry to ask you this, I–”

“Cas, yes, it’s fine. I’ll go. Besides, I hear Key West is really nice. I’ve never been there.”

“You’re a life-saver, Dean.”

“I get it. It’s cool.”

Cas could hear the smile in Dean’s voice as he said that. Laid back, casual, easy-going. That’s who Dean was. It was really refreshing. And maybe Cas knew then that he might have had stronger feelings for Dean than just friendship. Maybe Dean did too. Why else would he agree to go to a wedding and pretend to be Cas’s date? Of course, retrospect makes those things easier to see. At the time, Cas was just thinking about what a saint Dean was to go along with it.

After Cas RSVP’ed, Anna and her wedding planner made all the arrangements for booking the hotel rooms. Which is why, of course, when Dean and Cas checked in, they discovered they only had one bed in the room. Because, of course two people who are dating would share a bed.

“I’m so sorry, Dean. I can sleep on the couch.”

“It’s a big bed. It’ll be okay. Just chill out, dude. We’re crashing a wedding, it’s gonna be fun.”

“Technically not crashing. We were invited.”

“You were invited, I’m crashing.” Dean grinned and checked out the view from the hotel room. “This is nice.”

“You were invited by me, so still not crashing.” Cas moved up behind Dean and looked out the balcony window. “I would have expected a librarian to be more technical.”

Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You need to chill out.” He bumped his shoulder into Cas’s and walked past him to flop down on the bed. This was going to be a long weekend.

They got changed and ready for the wedding, respectfully turning their backs on one another as they undressed. Cas felt sick to his stomach, not knowing how this would all go. His family had a tendency to grill people and Dean was acting very cavalier the whole time. Luckily, Cas wasn’t asked to be one of the groomsmen, so he and Dean were able to sit together in the pews on the bride’s side of the venue. Not too much conversation happened prior to the ceremony, just general greetings and introductions before they quickly found their seats and only had to deal with the people sitting next to them. Once the ceremony began, they were safe.

It was a lovely ceremony and Dean was very respectful through the whole thing. Not that Cas doubted he would be, it was just nice to see. At one point, as the bride and groom were exchanging vows, Dean reached over and held onto Cas’s hand. That was a good move, for anyone who happened to be looking at them. Not that anyone should be, because everyone should have been looking at the bride and groom.

The reception afterwards is what really had Cas worried. That’s where the conversations and small talk and people skills were needed. Dean was good with people, he worked with the public, he was even good with children. Cas wasn’t as good at that stuff. His people skills were rusty, he liked to say. As they filed into the beautifully decorated reception hall, Dean set a hand on the back of one of Cas’s shoulders and gave it a squeeze.

He leaned down and spoke low into Cas’s ear. “It’s gonna be fine. Relax.”

Relaxing wasn’t the easiest thing, especially because that gesture and whisper made Cas’s breath hitch slightly in an unexpected way. He nodded and didn’t relax at all.

Looking up at Dean, he found the man smiling at everyone and everything. When he caught Cas’s eye, he gave a wink. Cas couldn’t help but laugh softly. Deciding that he needed to look the part as much as Dean did, Cas wrapped an arm around Dean’s waist and they found their way to their assigned table. They were seated with a few other cousins and aunts and uncles, all of whom asked to be introduced to Cas’s new boyfriend.

Dean took over the conversation as naturally as a fish takes to water. He smiled warmly as he told them about himself, his job, his little brother, the role of libraries in the changing society. He easily spoke of his relationship with Cas, how long they had known each other, how they met through their friend Charlie and she set them up on a date. Cas watched with awe at the ease with which Dean fit into his life.

The story about how they met was true, and Charlie did technically set them up as a fake couple, so Cas supposed that counted. He wondered if Dean made up this story before they came to the wedding, prepared to give these answers, or if he was making it up on the spot. Either way, keeping it all close to the truth was probably for the best.

“So when did you know it was love?” Cas’s cousin, Hannah, asked. Cas nearly choked on his water. He looked at her with wide eyes. She missed it, because she was focused on Dean.

Cas turned to look at the man posing as his boyfriend. Dean half smiled and shrugged, looking down at the table. Coming up with lie, surely. Or a half truth. The moment they became friends and not just acquaintances, maybe?

“Ya’ know, I’m not good with the whole… love… and … love thing.” Dean shrugged again. “But I guess it was just… all the conversations. We talk a lot and at one point he said something, probably pointed out something about a book that we both read and that was the exact same way I felt about it and I knew… He was the one for me.”

Some of the women at the table cooed and maybe the men smiled, Cas didn’t look, because he was staring at Dean and couldn’t seem to catch his breath. If he didn’t know any better, Cas would think that really was the truth. It sounded so real and so honest that Cas’s heart beat a little harder in his chest.

“You’re lucky, Castiel.” Hannah said, smiling fondly.

Cas only glanced at her for a moment before looking back to Dean. Their eyes met and Cas smiled. “I know.”

He reached out for Dean’s hand and gave it a squeeze, just like earlier in the pews during the ceremony when Dean held his hand.

The pair of them survived dinner until people dispersed to mingle and dance. Cas preferred to stay at the table and avoid seeking anyone out. So he and Dean sat with their chairs pointed towards one another. Cas distracted himself by telling Dean stories about various family members and growing up. He cautioned about who to avoid, especially his cousin Gabriel, who would likely try to stir up trouble if he could. Dean smiled and laughed and listened. He shared a few stories about his little brother Sam and shook his head at just how big Cas’s family was.

They did grace the dance floor once or twice, particularly when goaded into it by the DJ, who requested all couples to take the floor, leaving only when the amount of time they had been together had been called. Dean and Cas left early, as they hadn’t been ‘together’ for all that long. They did share one proper dance, though, when Dean suggested they do so to help sell the story. As if they needed to sell it any more – but Cas wasn’t going to say no. He realized, he didn’t want to.

Dean chose a slow song, thankfully, because Cas wasn’t particularly well practiced at dancing. Being the shorter of the two, he draped his arms over Dean’s shoulders. Dean wound his arms about Cas’s waist. They swayed slowly to the beat, getting gradually closer together until Cas rested his head on Dean’s chest. He smelled nice and this felt better than Cas had been ready to admit.

After they stuck around the reception long enough to make a quiet exit, they did, heading up to the hotel room to get out of their suits and just relax. Cas was really looking forward to not having to put on a show anymore, but he also realized he was going to miss all the little touches from Dean. He would also have to deal with the one-bed situation.

They held hands as they left the reception hall and held hands as they got into the elevator. Once the metal doors safely closed them away from everything, Cas sighed and fell against the back railing. Dean laughed and took up a lean beside him, their shoulders touching.

“Long night.”

“Thanks so much for doing this.” Cas said, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder.

“No problem, Cas.”

The elevator lurched to a stop on their floor and Cas groaned, not wanting to move. Dean laughed again and grabbed his hand, pulling him from the wall. “Come on, man. We’re nearly there. We can put on the TV and look for a movie to watch or something. This place has HBO and Showtime!”

Cas smiled and let Dean drag him to the room. Dean got the door open and pulled him in. What happened next took a moment for Cas to fully register. They stepped through the door and Dean pivoted on one foot until he was facing Cas. One arm snaked around Cas’s waist and pulled him in until they were pressed together, like they had been on the dance floor.

Dean’s other hand touched his cheek as Cas looked up to the man. “Wha–” he began to ask but it was cut off. Dean pressed a tender kiss to his lips. Cas didn’t waste a moment, he closed his eyes and tipped his head towards Dean’s hand and returned the kiss. They held together for several heartbeats before Dean carefully pulled away.

When Cas opened his eyes, Dean was smiling, his own eyes still closed.

“Sorry, I…” Dean let out a breathy laugh. “I’ve wanted to do that all night… But I didn’t want you to think it was just for show.”

“You mean… you…”

“Yeah, I like you, Cas.”

“Oh, thank god.” Cas sighed out and lifted a hand to the back of Dean’s head. He pulled the man in and gave him another kiss, not quite as soft and gentle this time. It was a harder kiss, one that had been pent up inside him for longer than he even realized.

Dean laughed into the kiss and returned it all the same. He walked them back towards the bed until his knees hit it and they both tumbled over. It was a ridiculous kind of moment, but Cas wouldn’t have had it any other way.

They did end up kicking their shoes off and removing suit jackets, ties and belts to get comfortable. Dean found the remote and put on the best movie he could find on TV. They curled up in bed together, arms wrapped about each other, fingers trailing patterns over skin, just touching one another, as if making up for lost time. Before they got too tired, they changed into tee shirts and boxer shorts for pajamas, got under the covers, and spent the night alternating between kissing, cuddling and talking.

Falling in love was never in the plan. But Cas was glad it happened anyway.


End file.
